Wideband streaming l-band (wisl) methods and systems

ABSTRACT

A network management systems (NMS) and methods for automating aircraft wideband streaming L band providing dedicated high data rate communication links from an aircraft fitted with an approved L-band terminal and antenna over a satellite communication network, such as the Inmarsat Swift Broadband network. The systems and methods allow for modifying the L-band terminal wiring to inject a dedicated single channel per carrier (SCPC) signal from an external modem to achieve return data rates in the range of several Mbps over a dedicated leased satellite bandwidth.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/873,058 filed on Jan. 17, 2018, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to wireless aircraft communications, and inparticular to a network management systems and methods for aircraftwideband streaming L band service for providing dedicated high data ratecommunication links from an aircraft fitted with an approved L-bandterminal and antenna over the Inmarsat Swift Broadband network bymodifying the L-band terminal wiring to inject a dedicated singlechannel per carrier (SCPC) signal from an external modem to achievereturn data rates in the range of several Mbps over a dedicated leasedsatellite bandwidth.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART

Inmarsat WISL (wideband streaming L band) currently allocates dedicatedspectrum (bandwidth) onboard aircrafts to be used for regionaloperations. Generally, frequencies between 1 and 2 GHz are referred toas L-band. L-band antennas are small and lightweight, making themespecially suited for tactical and mobile operation. The primary L-bandconstellation is the Inmarsat I-4 BGAN Network, which has adirect-connect into the Inmarsat satellite access stations and Internet.L-band provides global operations, even in adverse weather conditions toprovide seamless global network coverage enabling broadbandcommunications to mobile users anywhere in the world. Typical L-bandapplications can include mobile voice, video and data services (land,air, as well as navigation Systems, and the applications are overdifferent footprints. The spectrum is shared among a footprint. Inmarsatcarves out portions of the bandwidth to allow remote users to leasethose portions to use part of the spectrum (bandwidth) in dedicatedL-Band leases. The user(s) are allowed to use dedicated bandwidth, suchthat only one user will use one leased bandwidth at a time.

A challenge with using WISL comes from the traveling aircraft having tomove from one narrow beam to another. Currently the link between theteleport modems and WISL modems is allocated statically to a singlebeam, and it gets broken or creates interference when aircraft travelsfrom beam to beam or from satellite to satellite as the aircraft travelsbetween the beams and in effect crossing into different L-bandfrequencies.

Remote users such as but not limited to systems onboard an aircraftinclude routers, ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance),and the like, currently use Inmarsat (WISL) wideband streaming L band,that require personal onboard the aircraft to manually configure andchange between satellite bandwidth leases as the aircraft passes fromone beam to another.

A problem with this manual operation is that onboard remotes attached toterminals such as routers and ISR (intelligence, surveillance andreconnaissance), often drop the communication links between the aircraftand remote connections as the aircraft passes from one beam to another.

Currently a plane going on a mission must set up the WAM WISL accessmodem system manually to allow the ISR to continuously use thebandwidth.

The current systems that use WISL normally have to manually configurethe WISL box (plug in computer) and change on the go, where thereconfiguring must be manually operated on the aircraft and at thesatellite access station modems.

Having to require the onboard personnel constantly reestablishcommunication links results in loss of valuable data communicationsduring important missions, as well as the extra work required by theonboard personnel which takes their valuable time away from otherimportant activities onboard the aircraft.

Additional problems also exist with WISL systems. The current WISLsystem only allows one remote at a time, and requires manualintervention and coordination of onboard and ground personnel tohand-over active use of the lease between multiple aircrafts, or givingpriority to one remote specifically. When one aircraft 200 needs to takeover the lease to another aircraft 200, the active remote shall disablethe active WAM 210, personnel on the ground reconfigures the teleportmodems 110, and finally personnel onboard the second aircraft 200reconfigure their WAM 210 to lock on the shared lease. This would haveto be in this specific order and within certain time to preventinterference or extended break in service. Current WISL systems do nothave a safe guard to prevent and inadvertent transmission from theaircraft 200, both inside and outside of the leased area. When anaircraft 200 is preparing to enter the leased area, personnel onboardthe aircraft 200 could begin transmission prior to entering the lease,causing interference in an adjacent beam. As such, when an aircraft 200is preparing to leave the leased area, the personnel onboard theaircraft 200 may neglect to mute the transmissions from the WISL system,also causing interference to an adjacent beam.

Currently the ground personnel do not have visibility or situationalawareness of the status and health of the remote equipment. Any issuesoccurring onboard the aircraft 200 such as issues with power levels, IPconfiguration issues, mismatch modem configurations or userconfiguration errors, or the plane entering or leaving the lease area.

Satellite communication systems have been proposed over the years but donot overcome the problems addressed above. U.S. Published PatentApplication Publications: 2013/0070666; 2014/0286236 and 2016/0204854 toMiller et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 9,184,829 to Miller et al. are generallydirected for how a system uses a satellite to establish communicationswith multiple remotes to establish meshed networks, and deal directlywith spectrum.

U.S. Published Patent Application Publication 2012/0009920 to Karabinisis generally concerned with having two satellites sharing the samespectrum in an overlapping area.

U.S. Published Patent Application Publication 2016/0286532 to Karabinisis generally concerned with re-using the spectrum in a way that avoidsinterference.

U.S. Published Patent Application Publication 2015/0078218 to Karabinisis also generally concerned with reusing spectrum in satellite andterrestrial networks, similar to Inmarsat does with ATC.

Other prior art relating to satellite communication systems have beenproposed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,218,476 to Miller; U.S. Pat. No. 8,238,819to Karabinis; U.S. Pat. No. 9,014,083 to Boltz et al. and U.S. Pat. No.9,184,829 to Miller et al.

None of the cited prior art allows for management of resources insatellite communication systems addressed above. Thus, the need existsfor solutions to the above problems with the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide networkmanagement systems and methods for aircraft wideband streaming L bandwhich provide dedicated high data rate communication links from anaircraft fitted with an approved L-band terminal and antenna over theInmarsat Swift Broadband network by modifying the L-band terminal wiringto inject a dedicated single channel per carrier (SCPC) signal from anexternal modem to achieve return data rates in the range of several Mbpsover a dedicated leased satellite bandwidth.

A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide networkmanagement systems and methods for aircraft wideband streaming L bandservice which provides a management database of lease inventory to allowan administrator to create, modify and remove leases on any satelliteregion.

A third objective of the present invention is to provide networkmanagement systems and methods for aircraft wideband streaming L bandservice which provides a user a remote inventory control to add, removeand modify remote terminals in the system.

A fourth objective of the present invention is to provide networkmanagement systems and methods for aircraft wideband streaming L bandservice which provides remote status interfaces to query the GRM (globalresource manager) database and query and configure the WAM, teleport/SAS(satellite access station) modem for near real-time terminal location,status, and beam information and cross check against lease information.

A fifth objective of the present invention is to provide networkmanagement systems and methods for aircraft wideband streaming L bandservice which provides service operations to schedule the activation andautomation of access of a lease with associated lease parameters withthe aircraft (or group of aircrafts) and aircraft missions throughoutthe entire lifecycle of the lease.

The Wideband Streaming L-band (WiSL) is coupled with a NetworkManagement System (“NMS”) Functionality and network architecture toenable operations of WiSL services worldwide. The novel NMSfunctionality includes several novel features such as WAM remote status,remote inventory, lease inventory, schedule and persistent management.

For WAM Remote Status, the NMS (Network Management System) can have anautomated process to gather current status and location of the aircraftfrom the Inmarsat core GRM (global resource management). This processcan be used by the NMS to identify when the plane is active, and whetherit is in-transit or arrived to the beam where the WiSL lease is booked.The NMS can be configured to failover to the backup GRM in a differentInmarsat POP if the primary GRM fails.

For remote inventory, the user can add, remove and modify remoteterminals in the system. This can include a database with the SIM cardnumber of the SBB terminal authorized to use the leases.

For lease management, the system can have a management database thatallows the administrator to create, modify and remove leases in any beamand any satellite. The leases can be single beams or clusters of beamsthat operate dedicated spectrum.

For the schedule, the NMS can be configured scheduled activation ordeactivation for mission planning purposes. The schedule can beallocated to a remote or group of remotes, and assigned to specificlease or groups of leases.

The NMS can also manage and control the SAS (ground station) modems tothe specific configuration necessary for linking the specific remotes toeach mission, based on the scheduler's parameters.

The schedule can also help users plan missions with priority andpreemption of remotes when competing for the same lease. This works whena remote needs to handover the mission to another remote, or a remotehas priority over other remotes in the same beam.

If enabled for specific customers, manual mode can override theschedule.

For persistent management through the COMSAT MPLS, the NMS maintainspositive control of the SAS (ground station) modems to ensure that theyare properly configured and enabled/disabled when a remote needs tobecome active/inactive.

When the remote becomes active, the NMS maintains persistentcommunication with the remote via the control channel to monitor statusand maintain positive control of the remote.

When the remote gets to the leased beam, the NMS automatically sends therequired configuration parameters of the specific link to the remote,and maintains quality assurance of the process to ensure thecommunication is maintained during the entire mission.

Every modification and status change can be logged in the system foraudit and troubleshooting purposes.

During the entire mission, alarms and status indicators are captured,displayed and emailed.

A network management method for wideband streaming L band (WISL) serviceon aircrafts, can include the steps of providing an aircraft with anantenna connected to a high speed data terminal; providing an L Bandmodem in the aircraft; providing a satellite for establishing acommunication link between the aircraft antenna and a ground station,and network managing the communication link between the L Band modem onthe aircraft and the satellite and remote locations in order to keep thecommunication link active while the aircraft travels between differentbeams controlled by different L-band leases.

The step of network managing can include the step of controlling thenetwork managing through a ground station having a server.

The network managing step can include the step of providing a managementdatabase of lease inventory to allow an administrator to create, modifyand remove leases for different satellite regions.

The different leases can be selected from single beams and clustersbeams that operate with a selected spectrum.

The network managing step can include the step of providing a user witha remote inventory control to add, remove and modify remote terminals.

The invention includes a control that can include the step of providinga database that includes the identification number of the terminalauthorized to use the lease, an IP address assigned to a remote, andassociate different terminals with appropriate leases.

The network managing step can include the steps of providing a remotestatus interface to query the aircraft L-band modem, and providing adatabase for terminal location and beam information and to cross checkagainst lease information.

The step of providing the remote status can further include interfacesto query a teleport modem and the aircraft L-band modem and the databasefor near real-time terminal location and beam information and crosscheck against lease information.

The network managing step can include the step of providing for serviceoperations to schedule activation of a selected lease with the aircraft.

The step of providing the service operations further can include thestep of providing the service operations to schedule the activation ofthe selected lease along with aircraft missions throughout an entirelifecycle of the lease.

The network management method can further include the step of providingan IP-based packet-switched communications network that provides asymmetric ‘always-on’ data connection of up to 432 kbit/s per channelfor the communication link.

The network management method can further include the step of providingan IP-based packet-switched communications network that provides asymmetric ‘always-on’ data connection of up to 650 kbit/s per channelfor the communication link.

The network management method can further include the step of providingreturn data rates in the communication links up to approximately 2.8Mbps.

The network management method can further include the step of providingfrequencies between 1 GHz and 2 GHz as the L-Band.

The step of providing the L band modem can include the step of insertingthe L Band modem between the antenna and the terminal.

The inserting step can include the steps of cutting existing connectorlines between the antenna and the terminal and attaching the L Bandmodem to the cut connector lines between the antenna and the terminal.

A network management system for aircraft wideband streaming L band, cancomprise an L Band modem connected between an antenna and a high speeddata terminal in an aircraft and a remote ground based network managerfor managing a communication link between the L Band modem on theaircraft and a satellite and at least one remote location, in order tokeep the communication link active while the aircraft travels betweendifferent beams controlled by different L-band leases.

The L-Band can include frequencies between approximately 1 andapproximately 2 GHz.

The system can operate on a network that provides a symmetric‘always-on’ data connection of up to 650 kbit/s per channel for thecommunication link, and the communication link provides return datarates up to approximately 2.8 Mbps.

The L Band modem can be wired to the antenna and the data terminal.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent fromthe following detailed description of the presently preferredembodiments which are illustrated schematically in the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord withthe present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitations.In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similarelements.

FIG. 1 shows an overview of the aeronautical network architectureschematic using the novel network management system.

FIG. 2 is a table showing maximum allowable number of beams that can beclustered with satellites per a WiSL lease.

FIG. 3 is a table showing bandwidth return on channel leases offered bydifferent Inmarsat satellites.

FIG. 4 shows an aircraft wiring diagram for used with the aeronauticalnetwork architecture schematic of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a sample diverse-path network configuration for usertraffic for used with the aeronautical network architecture schematic ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 6 shows a NMS (network management system) automated scheduler usingthe network management system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 shows a screen shot showing device status using the networkmanagement system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the Network Management System.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention indetail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplications to the details of the particular arrangements shown sincethe invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminologyused herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

In the Summary above and in the Detailed Description of PreferredEmbodiments and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made toparticular features (including method steps) of the invention. It is tobe understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specificationdoes not include all possible combinations of such particular features.For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of aparticular aspect or embodiment of the invention, that feature can alsobe used, to the extent possible, in combination with and/or in thecontext of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention,and in the invention generally.

In this section, some embodiments of the invention will be describedmore fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichpreferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may,however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construedas limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled inthe art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and primenotation is used to indicate similar elements in alternativeembodiments.

As discussed above, many systems have been proposed for satellitecommunication systems, but fail to overcome the problems with the priorart referenced above. The prior art listed references, which include:U.S. Published Patent Applications: 2013/0070666; 2014/0286236 and2016/0204854 to Miller et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 9,184,829 to Miller etal.; 2012/0009920 and 2016/0286532 and 2015/0078218 to Karabinis;2016/0286532 to Karabinis, as well as satellite communication systemshave been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,218,476 to Miller; U.S. Pat. No.8,238,819 to Karabinis; U.S. Pat. No. 9,014,083 to Boltz et al. and U.S.Pat. No. 9,184,829 to Miller et al., all of which are incorporated byreference in their entirety. These references have referred tosatellites and communications that can use prior art components, someused in the subject invention, but fail to overcome the deficiencies asreferenced in the background section.

FIG. 1 shows an overview of the aeronautical network architectureschematic using the novel network management system 10.

A list of components used in FIG. 1 will now be described.

10 Comsat NMS-network management system to request satellite resources;configure, manage, and monitor Satellite Access Station (SAS) modems andaircraft modems (identified by IMSI); and assign resources to a specificWAM for accessing the customer leased satellite bandwidth.

20 COMSAT NOC refers to Network Operations Center. Systems and Personnelthat operate the COMSAT MPLS, configure the NMS, coordinate leasesconfigurations with Inmarsat, and management and control links with theSAS modems and aircraft modems.

30 Inmarsat GRM-global resource manager allocate the satelliteresources. Provides an interface for COMSAT Network Management System(NMS) to connect and manage the WAM and lease groups by associating theInternational Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) used with the SBBterminal; Provides the COMSAT NMS with real-time information such as thestatus of the active beam, active mobile terminals, and terminallocations.

40 customer network internet, such as internet connections or privatecustomer network.

100 SAS-satellite access station.

110 teleport modem(s).

120 satellite dish.

130 SBB network-Swift Broadband network.

150 satellite, such but not limited an Inmarsat or I4 or AlphaSat-1.

200 aircraft, such as military surveillance aircraft.

210 WISL WAM-wideband streaming L Band wideband aero modem.

220 HGA-high gain antenna(s) which can include micro-antennas as smallas approximately 5 inches high, such as but not limited to AMT-50,AMT-700, or AMT-3800, and the like.

230 Terminals (or SBB Modem) such as HSD (High-speed DataTransceiver)-400/440 Swift Broadband terminal, routers, ISR(intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance).

240 GFE Network, government furnished equipment, such as routers,crypto, and the like.

M&C Remote Management and Control link.

In the Figures, user traffic link can refer to the path that usertraffic (ISR, encrypted data, etc.) follows when transmitted in and outof the airplane into the customer network.

Referring to FIG. 1, there are several main components. The networkmanagement system 10 requires an L-band lease on a satellite 150, suchas but not limited to an Inmarsat-4 or Alphasat satellite. The networkmanagement system 10 further requires aircraft equipment (that isusually customer furnished) approved for operation with WiSL onboard anaircraft 200, such as but not limited to a High-gain antenna (HGA)system 220 such as but not limited to a AMT-50, AMT-700, or AMT-3800, aSwift Broadband (SBB) terminal 230, such as a HSD-400 or HSD-440 SBBterminal, Wide Band Streaming L Band (WiSL) aero modem (WAM) 21.

Additionally, the network management system 10 requires a ground locatedGlobal Resource Manager (GRM) 30, such as but not limited to an InmarsatGRM to allocate resources of the satellite 150. The GRM 30 can be usedto provide the information necessary for Network Management System (NMS)10 to connect and manage the WAM 210 and lease groups by associating theInternational Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) associated with the SBBterminal, and provides the Network Management System (NMS) 10 withreal-time information such as the status of the active mobile terminalswithin the active beam, and terminal locations.

The Network Management System 10 has the capability to request satelliteresources 150; configure, manage, and monitor Satellite Access Station(SAS) 100, modems 110 and aircraft modems (identified by IMSI); andassign resources to a specific WAM 210 for accessing the customer leasedsatellite bandwidth.

The Network Management System 10 uses a SAS-satellite access station,100 such as but not limited to a Paumalu SAS and Fucino SAS), are usedas the WiSL satellite gateway to access the satellite 150, andcollocated (hosted) gateway modem and associated routing equipment whichincludes but is not limited to routers, switches and firewalls at theSatellite Access Station (SAS) 100.

The Network Management System 10 further uses a terrestrial IPnetwork/backhaul using a private connection, such as but not limited toMPLS (multiprotocol level switching) and SONET (synchronous opticalnetworking) to interconnect the different elements of the system thatare located in different geographic locations (SAS 100, COMSAT NOC 20,Inmarsat GRM 30, Customer network 40).

Referring to FIG. 1, the Network Management System (NMS) 10 enables andcontrols a dedicated high data rate communication link from an aircraft200 fitted with an approved High-Gain L-band terminal 230 and antenna220. With a modification of the L-band terminal wiring (as shown in FIG.4) the COMSAT WiSL WAM 210 inject a dedicated single channel per carrier(SCPC) signal, achieving return data rates in the range of several Mbps(between approximately 1.8 Mbps and approximately 2.8 Mbps as shown inFIG. 3, which are significantly higher than what is possible with astandard L-band terminal).

The SCPC (single channel per carrier) links can be established overdedicated, leased satellite bandwidth. In the general case, thisbandwidth supports different forward and return frequency pairsseparated into different beams with discrete geographic boundaries. Theaircraft terminal 230 can transmit and receive in L-band.

At the teleport 100, the system transmits and receives using the C-bandfeeder link. The remote management and control (M&C) of the remotesystem is implemented using Swift Broadband (SBB) as the transport link.

The L-Band generally includes frequencies between 1 GHz and 2 GHz andare useful for mobile voice, video and data services, and navigationsystems.

C-Band can include microwave frequencies between 4 GHz and 8 GHz, andcan be useful for distribution of video services, VSAT voice, video anddata networks, fixed satellite services, and the like.

Swift Broadband (SBB) can include IP-based packet-switchedcommunications network that provides a symmetric ‘always-on’ dataconnection of up to approximately 432 kbit/s per shared channel, and upto approximately 650 kbit/s per dedicated channel.

Swift Broadband uses the narrow spot beams of the Inmarsat-4 (I-4) andAlphasat satellites. Features of the service include: Standard IPdata—currently up to two channels per aircraft; Up to 432 kbit/s perchannel over a high-gain antenna and up to 332 kbit/s over anintermediate gain antenna Streaming IP data on demand at 32, 64, 128,256, 384, and 650 kbit/s which can be combined for higher rates;simultaneous voice and high-speed data; packet-switched data (TCP/IP)and ISDN; circuit-switched voice and VoIP (Voice Over InternetProtocol).

Referring to FIG. 1, the novel invention can provide channels (n×100 kHzforward and return; e.g. 200 kHz forward and 800 kHz return) on asatellite 150, such as but not limited to an Inmarsat-4 or Alphasatsatellite. This bandwidth can be provided to the remote terminals in alease group on one or a cluster of narrow spot beams.

An L-band lease is a reserved segment of RF (radio frequency) spectrumthat is dedicated to a specific customer. The invention provides theflexibility for any terminal authorized in the lease group to access theleased bandwidth as long as only one terminal is active at any giventime. This bandwidth can be dedicated to the customer procuring theservice and will not be available for re-use by other services (such asbut not limited to Inmarsat services) and/or customers. The bandwidthused is leased in each beam where the service is required.

Regarding spectrum allocation, the L-band lease is not an Inmarsatmanaged service like BGAN (the Broadband Global Area Network). TheNetwork Management System 10 is configured with a series of link budgetparameters for the specific terminal allowed in the lease, area ofoperation and bandwidth requested; then, provides a preliminary designdetailing the parameters necessary to close the link and the expectedperformance throughout the required coverage area. When the leasestarts, Inmarsat can provide the necessary satellite power and bandwidthto support the link budgets provided in the design outline. The actualdata rate and performance of the link can depend on the configuration ofthe WAM, the implementation details on the specific aircraft, and thearea of operation with respect to the narrow beam and the satellitefootprint.

While the capacity can remain allocated to the specific beams in theWiSL (Wide Band Streaming L-Band) lease, on case-by-case, approval canbe granted for the transfer of capacity to other beams. Any suchtransfer request can be subject to availability of spectrum at the timeof order. A minimum lease duration can also be required.

Two or more narrow beams can be clustered and assigned to a WiSL lease.The lease clusters can be subject to satellite resource availability.

FIG. 2 shows the maximum allowable number of beams that can be clusteredper a WiSL lease. The I-4 is generally a constellation of 3 satellites.Referring to I-4, a case by case consideration can be required for morethan 3 Narrow Spot Beams on an I-4 satellite.

FIG. 3 shows Dynamic L-band Lease (DLL) Bandwidth Return Channel Leasesoffered by an I-4 satellite and AlphaSat-1 satellite. The data rates canvary based on aircraft location and physical conditions of theinstallation.

FIG. 4 shows an aircraft wiring diagram for used with the aeronauticalnetwork architecture schematic of FIG. 1. The Inmarsat type-approved SBB(Swift Broadband) terminals represent a significant population of thedeployed user terminals capable of operating the WiSL (WidebandStreaming L-Band) service. Users with SBB high-gain antennas (such asbut not limited to AMT-3800, AMT-50 or AMT-700) can have enough uplinkpower to close the link as required. Change to the SBB terminal such asbut not limited to changing a component in the terminal transmissionpath can require a delta type approval, which means Inmarsat engineersneed to review the design and approve the proposed physicalmodifications of the already approved terminal prior to using it on thesatellite to ensure the transmission characteristics are not harmful tothe satellite.

As an example, changing the diplexer within the terminal would require adelta type approval. The installation of the WiSL system onboard theaircraft requires a modification of the IFL (Interfacility) cables byinserting the WISL WAM 210 between the High Gain antenna 220 and the SBBterminal 230.

Currently, A High Gain antenna 220 can be directly connected by IFLcables to an SBB terminal 230. For the invention, these cableconnections can be cut, followed by the WISL WAM 210 spliced between theHigh Gain antenna 220 and the SBB terminal 230.

Referring to the ground system of FIG. 1, the patent applicationAssignee (COMSAT) existing network infrastructure can be used to providethe landing of COMSAT WiSL signals at the SAS (Satellite Access Station)100 teleports 110, backhaul services of customer traffic and remotemanagement/NMS connectivity.

The SAS (Satellite Access Stations) where COMSAT's Paumalu, Hi. POPoperates can be used to land Americas and Asia-Pacific traffic. COMSAT'sFucino, Italy POP can be used to land EMEA (Europe, the Middle East andAfrica) traffic. Both POPs can be equipped with the baseband equipmentsuch as but not limited to modems, routers, and network security as wellas dedicated network connectivity for user and management traffic. Allequipment can be managed remotely and its operation is fully automatedby the NMS (Network Management System) 10 to establish WiSL (WidebandStreaming L-Band) connectivity.

FIG. 5 shows a sample diverse-path network configuration for usertraffic for used with the aeronautical network architecture schematic ofFIG. 1. COMSAT's MPLS network is built to route all traffic privately.Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, two independent routes can be establishedfrom the remote. The M&C (remote management and control) link connectsthe WAM 210 with the Network Management System 10 via a static encryptedroute over SBB (Swift Broadband Background IP). The SBB modem 230 can beassigned a static IP address to allow communication with the NMS.

A second route can be established for user traffic, flowing between theData port of the WAM 210, via WiSL link, to the customer end point. TheWAM 210 and teleport modems 110 are configured in bridge mode,forwarding packets in and out of the satellite link. The IP addressingcan be set by the routers in the terrestrial network; routable subnetscan be assigned statically or via DHCP (Dynamic Host ConfigurationProtocol) to the internal network of the aircraft 200 by the gatewayrouter at the teleport 100. User data can use WiSL as the primary link(when available) and SBB as backup, usually during transit.

With the proper aircraft routing configuration, the SBB link can also beused for user traffic during transit (non-WiSL coverage), or as forwardlink when WiSL is configured in simplex mode. FIG. 5 also shows a samplenetwork configuration where user traffic has two routes built onleast-cost routing, with primary (preferred) via WiSL when available,and secondary via SBB.

The Global Resources Manager 30 and Network Management System 10 GRM-NMSinterface acts as a server (GRM) client (COMSAT NMS) interface. TheCOMSAT NMS 10 can interact with the GRM 30 and the modems 210, 110(aircraft and teleport). The SBB terminal 230 can keep constantcommunication with an Inmarsat Radio Access Network (RAN) whichvalidates that the mobile terminal 230 is online and active. Via SBBregistration, the RAN knows which beam the aircraft is actively using.Through the RAN connection with the GRM, the system 10 knows that theaircraft 200 has entered the “WiSL beam” and when polled, notifies theNMS to enable the WiSL carriers.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, the Network Management System 10 NMS servercan be built as a stand-alone system and can be physically located at ateleport location, such as but not limited to COMSAT's SouthburyTeleport. The NMS can operate in a special partition of COMSAT's MPLS(Multiprotocol Label Switching) network, configured with the properrouting and security to connect with Inmarsat GRM (Global ResourceManager) and SBB (Swift Broadband) backbone network to interface withthe modems (aircraft and teleport). The NMS 10 can be built using arelational database, specifically built to enable full control of thespectrum, the remote terminals and ground infrastructure, can be used tomaintain positive control of the system all the time, and allow users toshare common resources for multiple remotes.

The Network Managing System 10 can include the features of leaseinventory, remote inventory, and remote status, which can be controlledremotely through a standard desktop computer with a standard Internetbrowser. For security reasons the computer needs to be configuredisolated from other parts of the network and installed in a private areaat the COMSAT NOC 20.

The following are the features built in the system.

For lease inventory, the Network Management System 10 can have amanagement database that allows an administrator to create, modify andremove leases on any satellite region. The leases can include singlebeams or clusters of beams that operate with dedicated spectrum. Thedatabase can associate each beam to satellite transmission and receptionparameters.

These parameters vary with mission and are obtained from an Inmarsatlease authorization certificate that can uploaded onto the NMS (NetworkManagement System). A Private Key for each specific lease can also beuploaded, to allow for the NMS to properly translate the LeaseCertificate from Inmarsat.

For the remote inventory feature, the user can add, remove and modifyremote terminals in the system. A database can include the SIM(subscriber identification module) card, IMSI (International MobileSubscriber Identity) number of the SBB terminal authorized to use thelease, the IP address assigned to the remote, and any details requiredfor ongoing management and control of the aircraft equipment.

The NMS (Network Management System) 10 can provide the basic ability toassociate different terminals with the appropriate lease, and assignparameters for each specific remote on the allocated Inmarsat-4 orAlphasat region and spot beam.

For the remote status feature, the NMS (Network Management System) 10can provide the interfaces and software logic to query the WAM 210,teleport/SAS modem 110, and the GRM 30 database for near real-timeterminal location and beam information and cross check this againstlease information as provided. The NMS 10 can have an automated processto gather status and location from the Inmarsat core GRM (globalresource management) 30. The Lease Certificate can be used toauthenticate communications with the GRM 30. The NMS 10 can beconfigured to failover to the backup GRM in a different Inmarsat POP ifthe primary GRM fails. This process can be used by the NMS 10 toidentify when the plane 200 is active, and whether it is in-transit orarrived at the beam where the WiSL lease is booked. The NMS performs thefollowing functions:

-   -   i. Queries the GRM for the updates indicating that the aircraft        has reached the target beam ID.    -   ii. Determines which specific Tx/Rx frequencies to use based on        the L-band beam ID.    -   iii. Sends commands to the teleport modem and aircraft modem to        tune these modems to communicate on the specific beam.    -   iv. Terminate aircraft WiSL transmissions when the aircraft        leaves the beam.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, the NMS (Network Management System) 10 canrepeat this cycle at a rate fast enough so that the aircraft will notfly out of the overlap of the egressing beam and incoming beam. Thepolling is configurable, by default be set to 10 seconds to work inconjuncture with SBB (Swift Broadband operating in either background IPor Streaming.

For service operations, the NMS (Network Management System) 10 can havethe ability to schedule the activation of a lease and associate thelease parameters with aircraft and missions throughout the entirelifecycle of the lease. Lease parameters can include but not be limitedto frequency of operation, power associated to the link, bandwidth ofoperation and IP addressing of the WiSL link.

To plan for a mission a lease has to be defined and associated with theplane or list of planes that are authorized to use the lease.Definitions of an Import lease, define a mission and Multiple Missionswill now be described.

Import Lease Definition: A lease is defined by a unique lease ID;start/stop times; satellite coverage region; a number of beams; transmitand receive parameters including frequencies, data rates, modulation,and coding associated with each beam; and modem transmit power levels.

Define a Mission: A Mission is a process where an aircraft can beallowed operation in certain lease full-time or for a specified periodof time.

Multiple Missions: A single lease will allow for multiple missions totake place, back-to-back, allowing for WiSL use to be transferred fromone aircraft to another aircraft based on either a coordinated timetablefrom the NMS schedule or manual hand-over. The lease will only allow asingle aircraft or mission to operate WiSL at any time.

For a Schedule Definition, the mission can be executed manually by theoperators in the plane, or automated via schedule contained within thestart/stop times of the lease for each aircraft.

FIG. 6 shows a sample screenshot of the NMS's scheduler. For automatedoperations:

-   -   i. The NMS can be configured with a scheduled activation or        deactivation for mission planning purposes. The schedule can be        associated to a remote or group of remotes, and assigned to        specific lease or groups of leases.    -   ii. The NMS can manage and control the SAS (ground station)        modems to the specific configuration needed for linking the        specific remotes to each mission, based on the scheduler's        parameters.    -   iii. The schedule helps users plan missions with priority and        preemption of remotes when multiple remotes are competing for        the same lease. This works when a remote needs to handover the        mission to another remote, or a remote has priority over other        remotes in the same beam.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, for manual operations, the NMS (NetworkManagement System) 10 can still associate the aircraft with a lease, butit does not associate the lease with the automated schedule. An operatoronboard the aircraft 200 can also coordinate the activate/deactivateprocess on the WAM 210 to ensure the WiSL service will not interferewith an active link.

Using the WAM's graphical user interface (GUI), as described below andshown in a screen shot example in FIG. 7, operators can have fullvisibility of the identification name for the aircraft 200 that iscurrently operating with the WiSL lease, allowing for them to directlycoordinate when the lease is handed over to another aircraft.

Persistent Management can also be achieved with the Network ManagementSystem (NMS) 10. Through the COMSAT MPLS (Multiprotocol LabelSwitching), the NMS can maintain positive control of the SAS (SatelliteAccess Station) (ground station) modems to ensure that they are properlyconfigured and enabled/disabled when a remote becomes active/inactive.

When the remote becomes active, the NMS establishes persistentcommunication with the remote (WAM) via the control channel over SBB tomonitor status and maintain positive control of the remote. When theremote arrives to the leased beam, the NMS automatically sends therequired configuration parameters of the specific link to the remote,and maintains quality assurance of the process using SNMP (SimpleNetwork Management Protocol) to ensure the communication is maintainedduring the entire mission.

Every modification and status change can be logged in the system foraudit and troubleshooting purposes. During the entire mission, alarmsand status indicators are captured and displayed. The system is hostedin a secure enclave, and protected from outside access for maximum OPSECprotection of the customer mission.

The NMS (Network Management System) can provide the ability to generatealarms or alerts using SNMP (trap) messages or emails to an externalmonitoring system for performance related issues as well as issues withcommand and control of the lease or inability of terminals to get thecontracted lease services.

The Network Management System (NMS) 10 can include a status interfaceand configuration for operators. FIG. 7 shows a screen shot showingdevice status using the network management system of FIG. 1. The WAM'sCPU (Central Processing Unit) can includes a GUI (graphical userinterface) that communicates with the NMS (Network Management System)and conveys lease details to the end-user within an aircraft. By placingan “Edge router” between the WAM's M&C (remote management and control)port and the HSD, the GUI can be accessed from a laptop that isconnected to the local network. Whether the plane is on the tarmac orairborne, the WiSL local operator uses the GUI to see the WAM's currentstatus configuration and whether the lease is currently available or ifanother aircraft is currently using the service.

As shown below in FIG. 7, the GUI's status screen provides operationaldetails related to the lease configuration, such as transmit and receivefrequencies and IP addressing for WiSL user data. Furthermore, the GUIallows operators to cease WiSL functions and use the SBB connectionfreely as a standalone service. This feature is designed to allow usersto maintain traffic flow via SBB, when an aircraft is not operatingwithin the leased WiSL coverage area. Lastly the GUI allows limitedcontrol for configuring the WAM and HSD (high speed data transceiver),including:

-   -   Enabling or disabling the SBB session using PPPoE        (point-to-point protocol over Ethernet)    -   Initiate HSD/SBB service type, such as Background IP or        Streaming services    -   Changes to the APN    -   View or change the IP addressing for the WAM's CPU/M&C

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the main features of the Network ManagementSystem 10 used in FIGS. 1-7.

The term “approximately” can be +/−100 of the amount referenced.Additionally, preferred amounts and ranges can include the amounts andranges referenced without the prefix of being approximately.

Although the invention describes applications for aircraft, theinvention can have other applications, such as but not limited tomaritime and land applications.

While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shownin various terms of certain embodiments or modifications which it haspresumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be,nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such othermodifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings hereinare particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth andscope of the claims here appended.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for managing networks for widebandstreaming L-band (WISL) services on aircraft, comprising: connecting anantenna of an aircraft to a high speed data terminal via an L-band modemon the aircraft; establishing a communication link with a beam betweenthe antenna of the aircraft and a ground station via a satellite; andmanaging the communication link between the L-band modem, the satelliteand at least one remote location in order to keep the communication linkactive while the aircraft travels between different beams, wherein a newcommunication link with a target beam is established while thecommunication link is allocated with the beam.
 2. The method of claim 1wherein managing the communication link further comprises maintainingthe communication link with the beam until the aircraft leaves the beam.3. The method of claim 1 wherein managing the communication link furthercomprises completing the new communication link with the target beamwhile the aircraft is within an overlap of the beam and the target beam.4. The method of claim 1 wherein the managing the communication linkfurther comprises: querying a global resource manager for updatesindicating whether the aircraft reaches the target beam; determiningtransmitting and receiving (Tx/Rx) frequencies to use based on thetarget beam; sending commands to a teleport modem in the ground stationand the L-band modem to tune the teleport and L-band modems tocommunicate on the target beam; and terminating the communication linkwith the beam when the aircraft leaves the beam.
 5. The method of claim1 wherein the managing the communication link further comprisesconnecting the L-band modem with a network management system throughmanagement and control (M&C) link via a swift broadband (SBB) modem onthe aircraft, wherein the SBB modem assigns a static IP address to allowcommunication with the network management system.
 6. The method of claim5 wherein the managing the communication link further comprisescommunicating through the M&C link in order to keep the communicationlink active while the aircraft travels between different beams.
 7. Themethod of claim 5 wherein the M&C link is used as a forward link for thecommunication link, wherein the forward link is provided with n×100 kHz,where n is a natural number.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the targetbeam is provided by a different L-band lease from the beam, and themanaging the communication link further comprises allowing thecommunication link to transit to a new L-band lease and component beamsof the new L-band lease by managing frequencies of each L-band lease anddynamically updating the L-band modem aboard the aircraft based on ageographic location of the L-band modem.
 9. The method of claim 1wherein an L-band lease of the beam allocates multiple beams from thesatellite, and the managing the communication link further comprisesallowing the communication link to transit between any beams within theL-band lease.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the managing thecommunication link further comprises providing for service operations toschedule activation of a selected lease with the aircraft.
 11. A networksystem for providing wideband streaming L-band (WISL) services onaircraft, comprising: an L-band modem on the aircraft connected betweenan antenna and a high speed data terminal in the aircraft; and a groundbased network management system for managing a communication linkbetween the L-band modem, a satellite and at least one remote locationin order to keep the communication link with a beam active while theaircraft travels between different beams, wherein a new communicationlink with a target beam is established while the communication link isallocated with the beam.
 12. The network system of claim 11 wherein thecommunication link with the beam is maintained until the aircraft leavesthe beam.
 13. The network system of claim 11 wherein the newcommunication link with the target beam is completed while the aircraftis within an overlap of the beam and the target beam.
 14. The networksystem of claim 11 wherein the management system performs: querying aglobal resource manager for updates indicating whether the aircraftreaches the target beam; determining transmitting and receiving (Tx/Rx)frequencies to use based on the target beam; sending commands to ateleport modem in the ground station and the L-band modem on theaircraft to tune the teleport and L-band modems to communicate on thetarget beam; and terminating the communication link with the beam whenthe aircraft leaves the beam.
 15. The network system of claim 11 whereinthe L-band modem is connected with the network management system throughmanagement and control (M&C) link via a swift broadband (SBB) modem onthe aircraft, wherein the SBB modem assigns a static IP address to allowcommunication with the network management system.
 16. The network systemof claim 15 wherein the M&C link is used for communications in order tokeep the communication link active while the aircraft travels betweendifferent beams.
 17. The network system of claim 15 wherein the M&C linkis used as a forward link for the communication link, wherein theforward link is provided with n×100 kHz, where n is a natural number.18. The network system of claim 11 wherein the target beam is providedby a different L-band lease from the beam, and network management systemallows the communication link to transit to a new L-band lease andcomponent beams of the new L-band lease by managing frequencies of eachL-band lease and dynamically updating the L-band modem aboard theaircraft based on a geographic location of the L-band modem.
 19. Thenetwork system of claim 11 wherein an L-band lease of the beam allocatesmultiple beams from the satellite, and the network management systemallows the communication link to transit between any beams within theL-band lease.
 20. The network system of claim 11 wherein the networkmanaging system provides for service operations to schedule activationof a selected lease with the aircraft.